Safe and Sound
by Taylor Hayes
Summary: When they were young, something similar happened to both Brittany and Kurt. Kurtanny friendship. Klaine and Brittana, dark themes, allusions to sexual abuse of minors, vague triggers-nothing graphic.  No abuse by parents!
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Safe and Sound

**Rating:** PG-13/T

**Pairings:** Kurtanny friendship, Klaine and Brittana romances

**Warnings:** dark themes, angst, allusions to sexual abuse of minors, vague triggers (nothing graphic)

**Inspiration/Prompt:** This is based on two throw-away comments off of Glee ("Mr. Schue's the only teacher at this school that ever really touched me - besides Mr. Ryerson." - episode 2.7, "I lost my virginity at cheerleading camp. He just climbed into my tent. Alien invasion." - episode 3.5), as well as the fact that Kurt is my favorite character. (I don't really write Glee fics where he's not a main character.)

**Author's Notes:** Group therapy for sexually abused teens generally only occurs in rehabilitation centers or medical facilities where the teen is under suicide watch. (In-patient facilities.) For the purpose of this fic, I have written them as available outside of such situations.

The song used in part fifteen, as well as the inspiration for the story's title, is "Safe & Sound" by Taylor Swift ft. The Civil Wars, from the soundtrack for the 2011 film "The Hunger Games".

I never planned to post this, but it felt powerful while I was writing it. So far, I have fifteen pieces written and no idea if it will expand from there. This is one that I may or may not come back to, so watch for alerts.

…

**1.**

No one was sure when it had started. In fact, most people had expected it to end long before this point. Instead, the unusual friendship of Kurt Hummel and Brittany S. Pierce continued. The pair had a few interests in common, but with the difference in social standing and the way Brittany would routinely follow the lead of Quinn Fabray and Santana Lopez, their interactions should have ended as soon as high school started. When, the very first week, the other two girls had demanded Brittany stop spending time with Kurt, lest her standing in the student hierarchy decline and their with it, this had resulted in a screaming match the likes of which no one had ever seen. Mainly, because no one could remember a time when Brittany had been angry, let alone angry enough to be shrieking at the top of her lungs. In the end, Kurt had been the only one to pull her away and calm her down. It was only when she was sobbing on his shoulder, and he held her close, brushing a hand through her hair and quietly singing, that she went back to the normal, easy-going, oblivious Brittany. One of the other strange things people had noticed was the physicality of their relationship. Brittany had no trouble touching or being touched and seemed to hug everyone. Kurt, on the other hand, avoided contact like the plague. Casual brushes were routinely avoided, even from those he considered friends. But Brittany was allowed to hug him and kiss him, to sit in his lap and play with his hair, to run her hands all over a bright or shiny or exciting new outfit. She was the one exception, though. When he had first joined the glee club, Mercedes Jones and Rachel Berry had both tried to treat him the same way, and Kurt immediately retreated, before proceeding to avoid them for a full week. The girls had learned their lesson. Kurt and Brittany were special to one another. And while Kurt might be gay, and Brittany was in love with Santana, making a romantic relationship between the boy and girl impossible, they were the most important person in the other's life.


	2. Chapter 2

**2.**

Kurt and Brittany showed up for group holding hands, just like always, and sat next to each other, pulling their chairs close. The doctors still occasionally worried about how co-dependent the two had become over the years, but they admitted that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. When Kurt had built up the courage to admit his sexual orientation to everyone, they all knew they shouldn't have been surprised. So many of the things he said and did were very stereotypically homosexual. Still, if Kurt were ever to have an exception, it would have been Brittany. And the way the two were constantly together looked like a relationship. His interest in men was more of a shock than any of them wanted to admit. Everyone had a tendency to watch them carefully, always a little worried they would get into some unimportant fight and by that alone manage to break each other. In all the years, it had never happened. Brittany and Kurt, meanwhile, were ignoring the rest of the group, with the exception of the new girl. She had only been in therapy for a few weeks, and progress was slow. But the two older teens had made it a point to offer her compassion and a pair of listening ears. It always surprised the session leader when the friends would manage to coax something out of an unwilling participant. They never just left it at that, though. Instead, they would then allow whoever it was a moment of peace by drawing the attention back to themselves, than approaching whatever had been shared in a sensitive and loving fashion. It was hard for everyone, and they were all still living day-to-day, and it never really went away. But Kurt and Brittany were examples of how those experiences could be turned around by using them to help others.**  
><strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**3.**

Sarah hated group. She hated the doctors and she hated the other patients and she hated this place and she hated everything. She didn't want to be here, she didn't want to talk, she didn't want to "share". It was bullshit. Talking about it wouldn't make it better, it would just make it harder to sleep at night. Who the hell thought this was a good idea? And who the hell decided she would want to hear their sob stories, she already had her own. She really hated the doctor who had insisted she start coming to these things. Bitch. And she wanted to hate those two kids who kept glancing at her, kept encouraging her to talk with little nods and smiles. She wanted to hate them, but she couldn't. Anyone else, anywhere else, she would have said they didn't have a goddamn clue what she was going through, so they didn't have a right to be interested in her life. But because of what kind of group it was, she knew that wasn't true. She still tried to convince herself, every time, that what happened to them had probably not been as bad, since they were happy and friendly, even if the guy wouldn't touch anyone but the chick. That didn't change the fact that a tiny part of her actually wanted to talk to them, to tell them, to be their friend. And that made no sense. Sarah was totally different from them. She wore all-black clothes from secondhand clothing stores, wore too much heavy, dark makeup, had dyed her hair black and hacked it short, smoked and swore and drank and hated the world. The boy was pretty, and had the features and skin of a porcelain doll. His hair was always perfect and his clothes were all designer, in pale and bright colors. The girl was the perfect blonde most girls wished they were, with a dancer's body and a lovely face and long sunny hair. She almost always wore what was clearly a cheerleading uniform of red and white. A fashion-forward pretty boy and a freaking blonde cheerleader. Theses were the people she wanted to be friends with. Was she completely insane? And if they had treated her the way they should have, if they had acted like they must at school and looked down their perfect noses at the ugly little emo-goth, she wouldn't want that. But, no, they kept smiling and had politely introduced themselves specifically to her that first week, not just to the group at large like everyone else. He had asked were Sarah bought a spiked leather wristband she wore, and the gal had told her she had neat eyes. They weren't acting the way they were supposed to, and that threw her off. She had no other explanation for why she wanted their friendship and attention, or why she was willing to open up a little in group when they would smile at her encouragingly. She would find out later that the other group members and doctors all referred to the pair as magic, since clearly they were when they had the ability to affect others in such a positive way. That would be later though. For now, she hated everything. Except them.**  
><strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**4.**

Brittany was twelve, at cheerleading camp, the first time. He told her he was an alien, and she was so desperate for this not to be happening that she believed him. After all, if it was just probing, it wasn't so bad. She convinced herself of that every time he came back that week, and the week after. Kurt was eleven, and he had just started private violin lessons. He didn't know what was happening until it was too late, and he was terrified to tell his father, convinced that it was his own fault for thinking the boys in his class were cuter than the girls. He begged his father to let him drop the lessons, and Burt only insisted he keep it up for a month before allowing him to stop going. It was two years later that he met Brittany in dance class, a group class, the only kind he would go to anymore so that he would never be alone with the teacher. They were still young enough that they could sense the similarities in one another instinctively. Kurt didn't make friends, and Brittany didn't like playing with boys. Burt Hummel and Lisette Pierce were both shocked when they arrived at the studio after the third class and found the pair sitting on the curb outside, giggling, as Kurt braided Brittany's hair and Brittany chattered on about cats. It was another two months before they convinced each other to tell their parents what happened. Kurt had got online and looked up facts and stories. They needed to tell their parents, because they were too young to get tested for anything without their parents' permission. Kurt needed to know his best friend wasn't going to die like his mom did. Brittany needed the same confirmation. They asked their parents if they could go for a ride and talk. Lisette and Burt, who had come to know each other well in the time their children had grown close, shared a confused look, then agreed. Kurt and Brittany held hands tightly when they told the two adults what had happened to them. Burt looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel, and Lisette was bawling. Both swore vengeance, and were surprisingly graphic about their plans for the assistant coach and teacher. In the end, it was Brittany and Kurt who forced them to calm down when they demanded that the parents take them to "get tested". That drove home the point. Since they were both minors, their names were never released to the public, and neither of the two ever told anyone else. (Brittany joked about it exactly once with Santana, and when Santana rolled her eyes, Britt smiled that daffy smile, then went to Kurt's house and cried the rest of the night.) Their story was national news, two sexually abused kids who had found each other and insisted their best friend tell someone. No one ever made the connection between those brave children and the best friends. It had been too long for the police to find the evidence they needed, at first. But, as in most similar cases, once the names of the accused were made public, others came forward to admit they too had been victims. Both men's computers were seized, and the child pornography that was found was enough to send them away for most of the rest of their lives. Then the police found pictures the assistant coach had taken. Some of the pictures were of Brittany. And Kurt had chlamydia, the same strain for which the violin teacher had been treated two years previous. It was enough. The evidence piled up and the witnesses kept coming, and their attackers were put in jail, without possibility of parole. Kurt had to take pills, but he was declared STD-free within the month. The court recommended they receive counseling, but they refused to go alone. It took a few weeks, and Lisette asked for help or suggestions from her friend Doctor Lydia Lopez, who swore it would remain a secret, causing them to finally find the therapy group Kurt and Brittany had been going to ever since. It was held at a local in-patient, out-patient facility for children and teens. They could have stopped coming several years ago now, they knew. But they continued to come because they were determined to help others the way they'd been able to help one another. If they could support even one person through their recovery from the trauma, they would consider it worthwhile. Now they only came every two weeks, and they did their best to be careful and friendly with all the other patients. Everyone liked them, one way or another, but it wasn't until Sarah that they decided to sing for the group.


	5. Chapter 5

**5.**

The song ended up being what their group leader called a "trigger", as in, it triggered flashbacks and repressed memories. It shouldn't have helped. The panic and fear that overwhelmed Sarah were powerful enough to have her hyperventilating. It shouldn't have helped. It did. It proved, impossibly, that someone saw her and really did understand. And it was stupid and cliché and pathetic to have that reaction, but she ended up sitting between them, with both of them holding her hands gently after the song was over. And they kept saying, over and over, that it wasn't her fault and that she didn't deserve anything that had happened to her. For the first time, she believed it. It wasn't the last time she would feel guilty, or as though she was to blame for the assault, but now there was a crack, and slowly that belief trickled in. She still occasionally curled up in her bed and convinced herself she had caused it. Now, though, it didn't last. And when it got bad, she had her personal therapist and Kurt and Brittany all on speed-dial. And they always picked up, no matter where they were or what they were doing. She figured that their teachers and friends, and the members of that singing club they talked about, probably got annoyed about it, but they never said a word or told her to stop. Instead, they invited her to a performance, introduced her to their friends, explained that they'd met her while shopping. She realized then that none of their friends had a clue that the two had been hurt. And since the other performers didn't know about Brittany and Kurt, they didn't know about her either. It was wonderful to be treated like a regular person again, instead of a victim. After everything, after her parents found out, they treated her like she was made of glass. Which was nice at first, but she wanted to move beyond it. She didn't want to just be "that chick whose teacher raped her" anymore. Or "the daughter who we failed". Or "the friend who we were oblivious about and who didn't tell us". She just wanted to be Sarah again. And the McKinley glee club treated her that way. It was wonderful. Her family ended up moving, and she still called or emailed or texted the two for the next year, before her life moved on. It was nearly a decade later that she ran into them again, at a conference for survivors of sexual abuse that was working to pass bills for tougher penalties against rapists and child molesters. They got up in front of everyone and sang the same song again. And again, it was stupid and cliché and pathetic, but everyone in the audience reacted. Everyone cried. And everyone there knew that they weren't alone in their pain.


	6. Chapter 6

**6.**

The second time Brittany ever let slip what had happened to her was the week Rachel asked the glee girls whether she should have sex. At her pronouncement, she got a few confused looks and raised eyebrows, then was ignored. It was also the week that Kurt was fighting his own battle to tell his boyfriend, Blaine Anderson, why he had been hesitant about sex for so long. Everyone assumed that Kurt avoided the subject of sex because he was uncomfortable. Blaine assumed it partly had to do with Karofsky's kiss. Kurt, of course, knew better. He wanted to be with Blaine, in every way. His head and heart both knew that. His body, on the other hand, spent most of the time he was considering it freaking out. When they left the club the smarmy Sebastian Smythe, who reminded Kurt a little too strongly of his violin teacher, had invited them to and Blaine had tried to pull him down into the backseat of the car, Kurt flipped. He knew he had overreacted, and that if they had continued it would really have been Blaine who was taken advantage of. None of that stopped the panic attack that descended after Blaine had stumbled away and Kurt leaned back against the car. It was only made worse when the Predatory Dick, as he now referred to Sebastian in his head, came out and found the normally immaculate boy curled in the fetal position on the disgusting ground of the parking lot, gasping for breath, tears streaming unchecked down his cheeks. Because the asshole didn't try to help. Instead, he had chuckled, crouched down beside the boy, and quietly said that it looked like Blaine had seen the light. Then he patted Kurt's head, causing a flashback that the countertenor hadn't had to deal with in over a year, and said he would enjoy popping Blaine's cherry, before smoothly standing and sauntering away. It took twenty minutes for Kurt to calm down enough to pull out his phone and call Brittany. The girl had no idea how to get to Scandals, so Kurt gave her a steady stream of instructions, in between muffled whimpers and scared flinches at every sound, until she arrived safely, pulling him softly up off the ground and into her arms. He wrapped himself around her tightly enough to bruise, but she didn't care. He was too important. Helping him into the car, counting loudly the seven-five-seven breathing pattern they had learned for these moments, she paused to ask if he wanted to go home or stay at her house for the night. He shook his head, breathe in, hold, breathe out, and said they needed to find Blaine first. Brittany never asked him for an explanation, although he gave it later, just nodded and drove around and around the neighborhood for half an hour until they found the former Warbler stumbling his way east. Getting Blaine into the car was a chore, but as soon as he sat in the back seat, he lay down and dozed off. Kurt called Blaine's mother to say they were having a game night with some other boys and Blaine had fallen asleep before he could phone. Though the woman sounded a little suspicious, she thanked him for the call and asked if Blaine had a change of clothes. Kurt lied and said he did. In the end, they stayed at Brittany's house for the night. Kurt let his father know, but they didn't even need to stop by to pick up anything. He and Brittany made it a point to keep a few changes of clothes, and extras toiletries, at one another's house, just in case. It was a couple hours after Kurt had finally fallen asleep, following the story of the evening, that he woke in a daze from a night terror that had caused his entire body to freeze, and found Brittany and Blaine talking. The boy appeared to have sobered up, and looked ashamed. The blonde, on the other hand, was smiling pleasantly, but it was an expression Kurt recognized as her "I'm distracting you with how sweet I am before I tear you apart" smile. He considered breaking it up. Instead, he rolled over and went back to sleep, secure in the knowledge that he was safe with Brittany. The next morning was awkward, as they all got ready for school. Luckily, Kurt had a t-shirt he generally only wore to bed which fit Blaine, who wore the same jeans as the day before. He looked a little ragged, with no gel in his hair to hold the curls down. Kurt, on the other hand, looked as perfect as usual, and he and Brittany came to school in complimentary outfits, a sign people had come to recognize meant they had had a sleepover.


	7. Chapter 7

**7.**

It was another two days before Kurt asked if they could go back to Blaine's house, after the play ended. They went slow, and Kurt made sure they used protection. There were a few moments where he almost lost it, as phantom hands touched him and forced him, but he managed to keep going. And in the end, it was everything he could have wanted his first time to be. It was after, when they were lying together in bed, and Blaine was sleepy and caught up in the afterglow, that Kurt finally worked up the courage to tell him what had happened when he was eleven. It almost ruined the night, but not because Blaine was ashamed of or angry at Kurt. Blaine ended up reacting almost exactly like Kurt's father had, except that the gleek's boyfriend had more money, so instead of threatening to kill the man himself, he threatened to hire someone else to kill him. In a very elaborate and sadistic way. Kurt laughed and said that the violin teacher was already in jail, and since everyone in there knew he was a pedophile, he was probably being tortured enough to suit the need for revenge. That was when Blaine cried. Kurt pulled their bodies close and hummed Teenage Dream, until the other boy had calmed down. Slowly, Blaine whispered that he wished he could have been there for Kurt, and that he wished he'd known and he would have been willing to wait even longer. Kurt chuckled, then sighed and told Blaine that this had been perfect. He hadn't wanted Blaine to be worried about it, because this was theirs, and that man had no right intruding on their time together. He also told Blaine how he and Brittany had met, and why they were best friends. He had asked the girl earlier in the day if that would be alright, and she had smiled and said that, if it meant Kurt would get happy dolphin kisses and sex, than it was okay. Kurt had never loved her more. For the next few days, Blaine treated them both a little differently. He probably didn't realize he was acting like he expected them to break. Then it passed, and if all of the times he tangled his hands with Kurt's, or brushed Brittany's shoulder, or would watch them interact and smile, were a bit more tender, that wasn't really a problem.


	8. Chapter 8

**8.**

Graduation came, and Kurt did the impossible – he was named School Valedictorian. In shock, he had filled pages and pages with ideas for his speech. Nothing felt right. Finally, despairing, he gave up and went to Brittany's to give her a manicure. The senior class president welcomed him eagerly, and he dropped a quick kiss on her cheek before setting out all his tools. As he was finishing the final top coat on her now-sparkly blue nails, he brought up the speech. He admitted that he had no clue what he could say that would actually affect his classmates. Brittany had giggled and asked why he didn't just sing. At first, he had laughed, proclaiming it "too High School Musical". But as the thought seeped in, he slowly began to consider it. It would be dumb. Cheesy. People would probably say he was just trying to upstage Rachel, since she would be singing the National Anthem. Still, it refused to go away. It was three weeks until graduation, and he had prepared a speech that sounded right, and also had a song that felt right. When they were spending the night talking, Kurt finally asked Brittany when she was going to tell Santana. Brittany simply said that she already had. Twice. He demanded details, and listened to her stories. The next day, he confronted his best friend's girlfriend. At first, Santana had tried to brush him off. He had gone full Ice Bitch on the Cheerio, dragging her into the abandoned choir room and locking the doors. Forcing her into a chair, he demanded to know why she had ignored Brittany's words. After all, besides Kurt, she was the best at understanding Brittany-speak. The girl responded with a scoff, which was very nearly slapped off her face. Then, in a tight, cold voice that hinted at suppressed violence, he told the story. By the end, Santana was pale and helplessly crying. He knew Brittany might be a little angry at him for that, but at the moment all he wanted was to force Santana to hurt as much, or more than, she had made Brittany. Kurt walked out, simply leaving her there. Then he found Brittany, apologized and started crying. She didn't hesitate to pull him into a hug and thank him. He kept whispering that he didn't want Santana to make Brittany feel bad again. It was two days before her girlfriend approached her, begging for forgiveness, furious at herself. Brittany smiled and shook her head, simply telling Santana that she loved her. Kurt and Santana took longer to mend their friendship, but by the end of the school year, the two girls, Kurt and Blaine were the closest-knit group at the school. Together, they made plans. Together, the quartet of Klaine and Brittana were going to take on the world and win.


	9. Chapter 9

**9.**

The graduation speech that year was unique. After all, the Valedictorian himself was unique. He started his speech with a quote, spoke of overcoming and triumph and the future. Then he paused, sighed and muttered "forget this". And he straightened up, stared purposefully ahead, opened his mouth and sang. Later, some would say it was stupid and gay, some would say it was cheesy and attention-seeking, some would say it was touching and brilliant, some would say it was badass and awesome. But at the time, everyone was caught up in the emotions. Everyone felt what Kurt meant to convey and knew that one part of their life was over, while another was only beginning. It was perfect. Brittany was the first to applaud, and when he came back to sit beside her, she kissed him square on the mouth. Santana and Blaine both looked on, smiling. The pictures their parents took all showed the four the happiest anyone had ever seen them. They were ready for the next chapter of their own stories. It was a month and a half later that the four moved to New York together, and decided to share the rent on a two-bedroom apartment. It was nice, if cramped. But none of them considered it an issue. They were past anything that could mess up their friendships. Kurt and Brittany still had each other, and Blaine and Santana had found they had a lot more in common than they'd originally believed. They were fast on their way to becoming as close as their respective partners. Within the first two weeks of living in the city, Brittany and Kurt had found a nearby support group. They went every Thursday night, and Blaine and Santana would go on a "date" at the same time. It was their third month of this when they walked into the room and discovered a familiar face.


	10. Chapter 10

**10.**

Noah Puckerman had glanced up when he heard someone else coming in. He still wasn't sure if he really wanted to be here, but all the stuff he found on the internet said it would help, and he'd finally worked up the nerve to actually come. So, here he was. Then he saw them: Brittany and Kurt. At first he was confused. This had to be some kind of a joke, right? But how the hell would they know where he was going? Next was terror and shame. They knew, now. They knew something about him that he'd never told anyone but Aunt Carol. Finally, it hit him: if they were here, that meant… He didn't want to believe it. No one deserved that kind of shit, but especially not those two. Brittany had always been able to cheer him up, and Kurt never let anything stop him from being himself. They were some of the most amazing people he'd ever known. And to realize what must have happened to them was… It made him want to puke. When they all sat in the chairs and the group leader started, Puck was surprised to discover his old friends had maneuvered themselves to sit on either side of him, and both had grabbed one of his hands. He considered shaking them off, then internally shrugged. After all, he was going to need some kind of support to talk about what happened to him. When his turn finally came, he squeezed on their fingers and mumbled his name. Another three weeks passed before he was ready to tell his story. He had explained, slowly, clearly, that nothing serious had gone down. It had been a creepy teacher at his high school who got a little too close when he was still a scrawny freshman. Puck nearly cried when he said he still wasn't sure how the man had even gotten a job teaching, since he was a self-proclaimed "predatory gay". He had never made Puck do anything, or touch him in any way. No clothes were removed. He just fondled Puck to get off. And Puck had been scared someone would blame him, the stupid, punkass kid, for what the perv was doing. Later that night, all three sat on a bench in Central Park, coffee in hand, watching the sun slip down past the horizon, and Kurt asked how Puck had managed with how often Ryerson had been around their sophomore and junior years. Puck admitted that he hadn't been okay when he joined the Acafellas, but he'd refused to be the terrorized kid from the year earlier. He'd cornered Ryerson and flat out told him that it wasn't happening again, to Puck or any other kid at the school, or Puck would knock out all of the ex-teacher's teeth and burn down his house. Ryerson had backed off, and had looked truly fearful. Kurt took Puck's free hand and squeezed it tightly. Brittany leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. But it was Kurt's words, his whisper of "You survived. That's what matters." that really hit Puck. It was true. He had survived, and that made all the difference. Sure, he'd been used. He'd been the victim. And that was only a part of him, because he wasn't a victim anymore. When he said it out loud, he'd received twin hugs from either side and then been invited to Sunday night dinners at the Hummerson-LoPierce apartment. Confused, excited, worried and grateful, he said yes. Then he froze and asked if Blaine and Santana knew that Kurt and Brittany were in group therapy for. They both nodded, then assured him that if he didn't want to tell the two, they could just saw they'd run into him while getting coffee and spent time talking. He took a deep breathe, shrugged, and said that as long as their partners didn't treat him different, he didn't mind if they knew. Kurt and Britt giggled and told him that it wouldn't be an issue. After all, they were the ones who had trained their other halves on how to react. That made even Puck laugh.


	11. Chapter 11

**11.**

The dinner group who gathered in the Hummerson-LoPierce kitchen and front room was not what Puck would have expected years ago. But it felt perfect. There was Brittany seated comfortably on Santana's lap, telling her all about her aerial acrobatics class while Santana simply listened, a content look on her face that Puck had never even imagined she could wear. Kurt and Blaine were setting out food and talking about a try-out Kurt had for some musical coming up. Mike, who Puck hadn't even realized was also in New York, was teasing Rachel about some mistake she made in the choreography for a show she was in. Apparently, he had been hired by the director to be the "emergency dance instructor" for anyone who had problems with the dances. Rachel looked angry, but there was also a look of fulfillment in her eyes. There were five others who Puck had never met before, and Finn was sitting in front of the tv in the other room, watching a basketball game. Blaine glanced over and noticed that Puck seemed a little uncomfortable. Taking pity on the still-mohawked boy, he brushed a kiss across Kurt's cheekbone, then walked over to introduce Puck to the people he didn't know. Dinah Farmer was an artist taking classes at NYU who had recently had a highly publicized gallery opening. Amelia and Richard Harris were an odd couple, in that they remained friends despite being in the process of a divorce, and recording a cd together. Both admitted that they had been better off as friends, but had jumped into a relationship in high school when they should have waited. Puck spent nearly 45 minutes with the pair talking music. John Tyler and Cassidy Benton were an on-again, off-again couple whose relationship remained Puck of high school Finchel. Cassidy worked as a bartender and occasional stripper at a downtown club, while Josh was a stockbroker on Wall Street. There were affairs and blow-ups and engagements and declarations of shared hatred. And through it all, they kept coming back to one another. Josh had been kicked out or left their apartment so often that they didn't even bother moving out (or throwing out) his things anymore. After all, he'd be back within the week. By the time the food was set out and everyone dished themselves up, Puck was just as comfortable and at home as any other member of the dinner party. That was something he hadn't felt anywhere in the entire time he had lived in the city. At the end of the meal, he held up a glass of wine and officially declared that Kurt and Brittany must have some kind of "badass magic", because nothing else made sense. Both of the friends had laughed and beamed, and Blaine had added that if Puck said things like that every time, he was definitely allowed back.


	12. Chapter 12

**12.**

The first time one of his college professors hit on Kurt, he froze. He was strong, independent, and had been dealing with the horrible old memories successfully for years. None of that stopped the ingrained reaction that caused all of the countertenor's emotions and thoughts to shut down, like a computer met with a "fatal systems error". The gleam in Mr. Pilne's eyes was completely different and, somehow, exactly the same as the one his childhood violin teacher had worn when Kurt was originally introduced to him. He had never been more grateful for Brittany when his phone started cheerfully blasting "Girls Run the World". Kurt jumped, smiled apologetically at the professor, grabbed his things and rushed out of the room, out of the building, to collapse on a bench outside. Answering the call, Brittany's first words were short and confusing, asking if Bi-corns could fly, and she sounded excited and giggly. Kurt's quiet, pained laugh was all it took to send her into a panic. She announced quickly that she was coming to pick him up. He tried to protest - they were both currently in the middle of classes, after all. Brittany didn't even acknowledge his argument, simply told him to wait and she would be there in ten minutes. True to her word, nine minutes and 37 seconds later, she was bounding out of a taxi, across the plaza and up the stairs to pull him securely into her embrace was the final trigger, and Kurt couldn't help the terrified gasps and tears as his arms shot out to hold her tightly enough to make it hard for Brittany to breathe. She didn't ask, just ushered him back to the cab and carefully gave the driver their apartment address. The drive was made while she cuddled her sobbing friend in the backseat of the vehicle.


	13. Chapter 13

**13.**

Blaine had had a long day. His early classes were complicated and full of tests and pop quizzes, followed by five hours at his work-study job in the college library before he was finally able to head home. All he wanted was to curl up with Kurt in their bed, wrapped comfortingly around each other, and sleep for a week. Then he walked in and found Kurt passed out on the sofa, his head resting on Brittany's lap. The pale skin Blaine was constantly touching appeared blotchy and impossibly white, and those long-lashed eyes he loved were closed and ringed with irritated red. The way the blonde was stroking Kurt's soft hair was slow and sad and reassuring. At Blaine's entrance, she glanced up with a small, subdued smile, then turned her attention entirely back to the sleeping figure. Blaine slipped over to brush his fingers across Kurt's forehead and squeeze Brittany's hand. Making his way into the kitchen, he found Santana already there, half-way through making dinner with a careful, quiet grace. Silently, he joined her, letting the familiar routine center him. By the time Kurt woke up, his favorite meal (even though he denied it, seeing as the main dish was absurdly unhealthy) was ready. Set out on the table was a large sauce pan full of chicken fettuccine alfredo, along with a honey-drenched almond-and-fruit salad, cooked and lightly buttered and salted zucchini, and strawberry shortcake for dessert. The beautiful boy still looked exhausted, but he couldn't help the loving gratitude shining from his face. He pressed a short kiss to the cheeks of his two favorite girls, and laid a longer one on Blaine's lips, slow and sweet. As they all filled their plates, they instinctively knew that, whatever the problem was, it would be okay. That Friday, Kurt went in to his class and politely but firmly informed his teacher that, whether he had meant it in teasing or seriousness, the attention he had aimed at Kurt made him uncomfortable. Pilne shot him a series of looks, confused, astonished, offended, and then accepting, before apologizing and promising to keep a more professional tone from then on. Eventually, he shared the story with an old friend of his, the editor of a New York based fashion magazine, who had been intrigued. Two years later, Kurt would interview for a job with the woman, who would connect the composed and witty young man with the respectfully and forthright one from the story before hiring him.


	14. Chapter 14

**14.**

At the age of 29, all four of them were at the head of their fields. Brittany was on retainer with Cirque de Soleil to choreograph their next four years worth of shows and had become a famous dancer and aerial performer in her own right. Santana was the youngest and most successful District Attorney in New York State history. Kurt was now the heir-apparent to the most widely read fashion magazine in the Western World, and was often asked by designers to view and critique their new clothing lines. Blaine had just had his third album, a collaboration with Puck, go triple-platinum. Between the two couples, and with Josh keeping track of what they had in stocks, they were officially in the top percentile of wealth in America. But they all felt like something was missing. Kurt and Blaine talked it over on their anniversary, before approaching the girls. They wanted a child. They wanted a family. All of them, even Brittany, expected Santana to protest. Instead, she pulled out pamphlets she had been gathering for months on artificial insemination. With that, the choice was made, and they bought a luxurious townhouse with plenty of room for all four adults and several children. None of them stopped working, but they did cut down on the hours spent at their respective jobs, and all had informed their superiors that, should either Brittany or Santana become pregnant, depending on how the women's bodies reacted, they would keep shorter hours. Three months before and after a birth they would be completely focused on the child, and wouldn't spend any of that time on their careers. It took several months, then one night, Santana announced that she had taken a home pregnancy test before visiting a doctor to be sure. The man had confirmed the results: she was pregnant. Kurt and Blaine were laughing and crying and hugging her, only for both of the females to smirk when Brittany added that she had gone through the exact same process a week earlier, and she was also expecting. Kurt didn't believe in God, but he couldn't deny that it felt like some kind of miracle. They were going to be parents. Nine months later, within a week of each other, two baby girls were born. Jane Marie had dark curls and smooth mocha skin, and she was pudgy and loud and fussy. Celia Jacqueline was blonde and pale, with blue-grey eyes that would shift color depending on her surroundings and mood, and she was giggly and small and calm. They were both perfect. Officially, Janey was Santana and Brittany's child, and Celia was Kurt and Blaine's, though they were raised in the eccentric family where they each had two sets of parents, rather than just one. The first day of kindergarten, all the other children had been jealous when the sisters explained that they had two mommies and two daddies. And while Daddy Kurt and Mommy Tana might still make them go to bed at their bedtime and not eat snacks before dinner, Daddy Blaine and Mommy Britt would take them to the zoo and let them play with friends and buy them neat toys. They loved having two daddies and two mommies, and the people who treated them like it was unusual or inappropriate were happily ignored. After all, Celia and Janey were too busy loving and being loved.


	15. Chapter 15

**15.**

The conference had been just an idea, until Kurt Hummel and Brittany Pierce heard and decided to use the fame they had gained over the years to help others. It was held in New York, and had been for friends, families and advocates of survivors of sexual abuse, as well as the victims themselves. Their goal was to work towards stronger penalties against perpetrators of such crimes. Even with their celebrity backing, it had started out small. But the more people they shared the plans with, the larger the gathering grew, the more people promised to attend and donate. Before they knew it, they had appointed a pair of friends they had met in group as the Treasurer and Events Coordinator for what was swiftly growing into a large, charitable movement. The plan was merely for them to facilitate, maybe direct the conference. Then a fan who was aware of their shared love of singing requested they perform a song. They had been stumped, until Brittany had leaned back against Kurt's shoulder one night and mentioned Sarah, a girl they hadn't seen in years. She had been in high school at the same time as them, and they had watched and tried to support her as she worked her way through the hurt and bewilderment and guilt and anger, along with every other emotion, after a teacher had taken advantage of her. There was a song they had sung then. And it was simple, with reassuring lyrics and a soft, aching chorus. It had been for a movie that came out, but for the friends it was also _their_ song. One that acknowledged the bad and hoped for the good. The next day, Kurt ran it past Blaine. His husband had asked to hear it, because he didn't remember it very well. At the end of the performance, silent tears were dripping down his cheeks, and he couldn't do anything but nod and whisper to Kurt that it was perfect. It was the second day of the conference, after a series of survivors had shared their stories, had explained how their futures had been affected, how they coped, how they lived. When Brittany and Kurt were announced, they were also joined by Blaine and Santana, as Puck and Dinah sat in the audience with Celia and Janey. Blaine's fingers found the chords easily, and the music whispered out through the now silent audience. The heart-wrenchingly familiar words spoke more clearly than anyone could have previously expected, and it wasn't long before the harmony of three high voices and a single deeper one, and the matching notes of the well worn instrument brought the emotions pouring out. "_I remember tears streaming down your face when I said I'll never let you go. When all those shadows almost killed your light. I remember you said, don't leave me here alone. But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight._

"_Just close your eyes, the sun is going down. You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now. Come morning light you and I'll be safe and sound._" The singing was gentle and spoke of indignities suffered and the will it took to keep going, despite it all, and the accompaniment soothed while highlighting the same feeling. "_Don't you dare look out your window. Darling, everything's on fire. The war outside our door keeps raging on. Hold onto this lullaby even when the music's gone. Gone._

"_Just close your eyes, the sun is going down. You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now. Come morning light you and I'll be safe and sound_." The series of "oo"s that followed were as close as the best friends who sat together, holding hands tightly, while Santana stood behind her wife, clasping her shoulder, while Kurt reached out to touch Blaine's leg, connecting the four as clearly as ever. "_Just close your eyes. You'll be alright. Come morning light you and I'll be safe and sound._" All four followed the lyrics, letting their eyelids slip shut as they finished the song and let it fade with a weary edge of long-awaited, weary triumph, the music spreading through the aisles and open spaces of the hall, catching everyone who was able to hear and reminding them why they were gathered. And when they opened their eyes, finally looking back out on the crowd, Brittany and Kurt recognized a now adult Sarah sitting on the front row, and were overwhelmed by the perception of a long-fought battle finally won.


End file.
